A Devil With Angel Wings
by ArtGal232
Summary: The war against Gaea is over, Nico is (almost) fully recovered, and it looks like everything will be just fine. That is, until friends from Nico's past come back to talk, and with anything but good news. With trouble on the horizon and the School on the prowl, will they all make it out unscathed? Constructive criticism welcome!
1. Chapter 1

_He was running. He didn't know where, he didn't know why, he only knew that if he so much as slowed down,_ _ **they**_ _would get him. And it would be back to square one._

 _When he looked up, there was a moment of panic. Aside from the usual scenery of seemingly endless trees, there was a rock wall, too steep to climb, too close to avoid. As he slid to a stop he noticed he was surrounded. These things-no, these_ _ **creatures**_ _-just barely resembled his friends, or could he even call them that now._

" _Max help me, please! Don't send me back there!" But his pleas fell to deaf ears it seemed, as he was dragged away, having not put up any sort of fight._

 _A loud, sharp laugh sent a shiver of fear through him. "Why would I do that when you'll be right back where_ _ **freaks**_ _like you belong," she responded, turning to look at him with a face that held almost no resemblance to the girl he had come to look up to. Her features had been warped and changed, just like the other monsters that place had created. "Besides, who would want an angel from_ _**Hell**_ _!"_

 _Suddenly, he wasn't in the forest any more. He was in a cage, lined up against a wall and surrounded by other "failures," an unimaginable pain flowing through him. As a man in a white coat passed by, he flinched instinctively, almost expecting a loud clang to emanate from the outside of the bars he had once called a home. When the white coat leaned down to look at him, he nearly burst into tears. "So,_ _ **boy**_ _, are you willing to cooperate with us today, or will we have to repeat yesterday's events?" the man asked, his smile being enough to tell him apart from a sane, from a_ _ **normal**_ _person._

 _As the latch to his cage was opened and he was dragged down a hallway, the tell-tale smell of chemicals and blood grew. A pair of doors opened to reveal a medical room, complete with a cart piled with scalpels, syringes, and sedatives incase he got too worked up. "Now, how about you be a good boy and listen to your elders for once," one "doctor" stated as he entered the room, "cause I would hate to have to hurt a potential experiment." A twisted grin spread itself across his face as he hoisted the child onto a surgical table, "Oh wait, no I wouldn't,"_

Nico woke up with a jolt, gasping for breath as his most recent nightmare passed. ' _It's just a dream, calm down, you're not_ _ **there**_ _, you're not being kidnapped, breathe in, breathe out.'_ "It was just a dream, one hell of a dream, but still a dream," he whispered to himself, relieved and slightly confused. ' _But why am I in my cabin? Better yet, why am I still at Camp Half Blood?'_ This, he soon realized, was a rather ridiculous question.

Will had just let him leave the infirmary four days ago, and not only did he treat Nico like a fragile doll, but he had practically interrogated him on the injuries he got. Looking back at the beginning of his stay, which was **much** longer than three days, Nico couldn't help the bitter smile that stretched across his face.

He ran a hand across his face and through his hair as he got out of bed. A quick glance at the watch that Leo had insisted he take, reassuring him that "Yes, Deathboy, it's monster proof, and no, it doesn't ruin your 'gothic style' or whatever you have going for you," showed that it was just pasted six in the morning. ' _Way too early for breakfast, but...,'_ Nico thought, as one of his rare, genuine smiles broke loose. Grinning like a fool, Nico threw on a pair of black skinny jeans and a black skull shirt, grabbing his converse and aviators jacket on the way out.

' _Just a quick "run" won't do any harm, now will it?'_

He had begun to get used to that excuse: "Just off for a run." ' _It's almost funny,'_ he thought, gently closing his cabin door, ' _how easily they'll believe that story, but not the truth behind it.'_ Taking a running start towards the docks of the lake, Nico allowed a chuckle to escape his mouth, a glimmer of happiness almost visible in his eyes.

As he took his final step off the docks, he leaped into the air, pure adrenaline running through him. If anyone were to be watching this take place they wouldn't hear the splash of the water, nor the way that Nico seemed to float on air the moment he jumped off. No, what would have caught their attention were the glossy, pure black wings that kept the son of Hades airborne, unfurling from their place on his back with the help of the slits he cut into his shirt.

' _Now wouldn't this be a sight to see,'_ Nico wondered as he flew far above the lake, gliding over trees and cabins, ' _a literal angel of death.'_ Looking out at camp from atop the Big House, he could understand why many demigods found refuge in this place. At his place on the Big House, Nico had a clear view of all the wonders this camp had to offer, from the Lava Wall, which Percy still had yet to climb to the top of, to the grecian Amphitheater where the weekly bonfires were held. As he took flight once more, a bitter thought crossed is mind. ' _The only way this could be better would be if I knew I could stay here without fear of becoming an outcast, just like before.'_

Landing on one of the higher branches of Thalia's pine tree, he shrugged on his jacket, leaning into the tree for support as sleep threatened him once more. Yawning, Nico was reminded of how tired he was from his lack of sleep recently. ' _Stupid nightmares, keeping me up half the night,'_ he thought, his exhaustion finally catching up with him, ' _I guess I could take a quick nap.'_

Finally settling himself into a more comfortable position in the branches, he granted himself this moment of peace. ' _After all, what's the worst that could happen?'_ he wondered, as sleep took hold of him once more.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Will!" Jason shouted across the dining pavilion, causing the blond medic to look up from his breakfast, "Any chance that you've seen Nico yet?"

"Uh, no. Why," he asked, thinking of about a dozen ways the child of Hades could have gotten himself injured, _again_ , and walking over to Jason. A worried look crossed Jason's face, "No reason, I just didn't know if he'd left his cabin yet, and since you seem to know almost everything about him…"

Jason trailed off at the end, leaving Will with a slight blush as he stuttered out, "I-It's not like that!"

He was given a lopsided smile as a response, "Sure it isn't."

"Anyway," Will continued, "Are you sure? He should know better than to skip out on breakfast."

"Solace, I already told you," He said, his trademark smile being replaced by a somber look, "and I'm worried about him too, I just hope he didn't leave camp again."

"I'll see what I can do, alright?"

At that, Will left the dining pavilion, snagging his half finished waffle and, after a moment of consideration, a chocolate chip muffin for Nico on the way out. He soon found himself lost in thought.

' _He couldn't have gone far, and if he did then he better hope I'm not the one to find him. How many times do I have to tell him not to do anything too strenuous just yet…'_

As he wandered he kept an eye out for Nico, until finally giving up and settling down on the porch of the Big House, gazing out at the hill with Thalia's old pine tree on it. Just as he was finishing his breakfast, something in the tree caught Will's attention.

' _It's early summer, there shouldn't be any brown leaves yet, let alone black…'_ His thoughts raced as he rose from the old rocking chair, breaking out into a run. ' _I swear to the gods Nico, you're gonna be the death of me one of these days.'_

Soon he was at the base of the pine tree, looking up at the branches looming over him, and sure enough, there was one Nico Di Angelo, nestled among the branches and needles. Sighing, Will tried to think of a safe way to wake up the demigod, one that didn't involve him climbing up or Nico plummeting to the ground.

' _Well, at least if he crashed to the ground I would be here to help,'_ Will mused, a mischievous smirk on his face. "NICO, TIME TO GET UP!" he yelled, watching in amusement as the son of Hades jumped, lost his balance, and tumbled out of the tree, each branch lessening his descent.

Despite this, Nico failed to stick the landing, and fell on back, giving out a yelp in pain. ' _Ow, that may have been a bad idea.'_ the blonde thought, cringing as Nico sat up, grumbling about "stupid son of Apollo... waking me up early...need more sleep," and gently rubbing his back.

"...You didn't break a wing, did you?" Will asked hesitantly, "because from what you told me, they're pretty durable, but when they break it's bad and so help me if you deny another injury…" he rambled on, oblivious to Nico's amused expression. "...and I remember you mentioning that you're more stubborn than Fang when it comes to needing medical attention, so-"

"Solace, you can shut up now," Nico interrupted, his voice suddenly becoming unusually tense as his most recent nightmare came to mind, "and what did I tell you about bring them up again!"

"Well, it's just that-

"That what!" Nico shouted, eyes ablaze with anger and glazed over by raw fear, "That when I was finally yanked out of the stupid casino I wound up being experimented on? That the sicko's there had the nerve to call themselves doctors and treat us like dirt! That when," he faltered for a moment, "when Bianca and I escaped it was already too late for us? That we were turned into bigger freaks than we were to start off with? "

"No, it's not like that, I meant-"

"Yeah, it's just that I had to spend half that summer locked in a cage and the other half on the run, right? I'm sure I'll have absolutely no problem freely talking about having to hide 13 foot wings under a cramped jacket or anything," Nico finished, sarcasm dripping off his words

Sighing, Will tossed Nico the muffin "Nevermind."

There was a long pause as they walked to the Big House, Will feeling too guilty to say anything, while Nico was silently fuming and scarfing down the muffin.

"Anyway," Will spoke, breaking the silence, "You scared the schist out of Jason, what with you missing breakfast. You really need to stop taking those morning 'walks,' or at least leave a note so remember to eat something afterwards. After all, you and I both know you can't afford missing any meals right now."

Nico glared at him, which would have been terrifying had it not been cut short by a yawn. "Yeah, but where's the fun in that," he questioned, crushing the muffin wrapper into a ball, "Besides, it's not like I need to stay at camp for much longer. Once you clear me as 'recovered,' I'll be free to go."

' _Free to fly, free to explore, free to see if Max and the others are still alive,'_ he thought, a faint smile on his face, which quickly disappeared as he spiraled down a darker train of thoughts.

' _But what if the School still exists and they're still hunting you, what if Max hate you for abandoning them, what if they don't trust you anymore, what if you accidentally hurt one of them after a nightmare, what if you get one of them killed, what if another war starts up at camp and I'm too busy to help, what if...'_

He hadn't noticed that his pace slowed down, or that his breathing had become rapid. His head became filled with more ' _what if'_ s.

"-co, Nico!" Will said, concern lacing his voice, looking the gothic boy in the eyes, "Hey, deep breaths, remember. In for 4, hold for 7, out for 8." He placed a hand on Nico's shoulder, "I guess we'll be back at the infirmary working on your PTSD, huh."

It wasn't too uncommon for demigods to have PTSD after fighting in one war, lead alone two, but Nico's case in particular worried several of the camp's healers. They had yet to figure out his trigger, but he already knew.

It was family. More specifically, harm coming to his family, and him being unable to save them.

After having his memories of his mother taken, his father out of contact for several year, and left to rely solely on his sister, he was upset. During their stay at the Lotus Casino, he began to wondering why no one wanted him or his sister.

Once they left and were sent to the School, the siblings started to bond with the other experiments, Nico taking a liking to Fang especially it seemed. Soon after their arrival though, the white coats began their testing. Almost four months later, the 'doctors' had finally come to an agreement. It was decided that the Di Angelo's would be grafted with Raven DNA, both to further their research and to test how well the DNA grafting would go on a 'normal' human that had never had wings before.

As they recovered, the Flock, with the help of Jeb, had devised a plan of escape and were waiting for the newest additions to the School to return. Sure enough, a month later they were deemed 'healthy' enough to be sent back to the other experiments. Then, their escape was made. Weeks passed before they found the safe house Jeb had claimed to reserve for them. The days that followed were filled with a combination of nightmares, assigning shifts for watch, and combat training courtesy of Jeb. Despite the tough times, Nico had started to think of the Flock as a second family. However, a few months after their escape someone had requested the DI Angelo's.

"How did you find us," Jeb had demanded, "and what do you want." The old woman at the door merely smiled, seeming amused at his questions.

"I only need Nico and Bianca. You can hand them over peacefully or I can take them by force, your choice," she spoke, her voice, sweet and kind, was more unnerving than her smile, and seemed out of place considering the leather jacket and cold, calculating eyes.

Against his better judgement, Jeb let the pair leave, never to be seen by the Flock again, his only words for them being, "Don't come back here. I don't care how much you miss us, we'll see you again eventually. Until then, I don't want to see either one of you back here. Understood?"

In the morning, when Angel asked where Nico and Bianca were, Jeb cleverly responded with an "I don't know," and "Maybe they left in the middle of the night." The Di Angelo's disappeared from the Flock's lives and things continued per usual, Nico and Bianca hiding wings under layers of clothes at Westover Hall, the Flock training to fight Erasers and escape their clutches in emergencies.

Once more, they were torn away from their family, only for them to be rescued, this time by demigods and hunters. They had mostly forgotten about their time at the School, or at least blocked out the more gruesome parts. Something was different about this rescue attempt though, rather than be taken away as a pair, they were separated. A quest was issued, promises were made and broken, lives were lost, and the end result was one broken Nico Di Angelo, far beyond trusting his new 'family' again, who ran away by his own free will.

One year later, so much had changed. The happy, curious, cheery Nico that Bianca, that _the Flock_ , once knew was gone. He was replaced by a bitter, angry boy who believed his only home to be among the dead in the Underworld. True, during his time with Minos he had mastered his demigod abilities, along with using the Mist to hide the shape of his wings under his jacket, but this only helped so much when he knew it was just a matter of time before he was found, whether it be by Erasers or the Flock themselves.

As the Titan War approached and then came to a close, Nico had started to become the sort of hero that Chiron had hoped all half bloods to be: bold, brave, and was almost accepted by the other demigods. Almost being the key word. Weeks after the Titan War, the novelty of his heroic acts had worn off, and campers had taken to avoiding him yet again.

Time wore on, Percy disappeared, Tartarus happened, Percy was found, then lost _for a second time_ , secrets were revealed, there was a war _again_ , three plus days were spent in the infirmary with Will "Don't do anything too strenuous" Solace, then it was back to camp as usual. For the most part anyway. Reyna now knew he had wings, so did Coach Hedge and Will, and Nico had the slight suspicion that Jason might have known as well. Regardless, that was about as normal a life as a demigod with genetically recombined DNA could ask for.

He knew he had a family, he just didn't know how long this one would last for.


	3. Bonus Chapter

**A/N: This is just a little bonus about Nico's three day (or more) in the Infirmary.**

 _ **After the battle with the Romans at Camp Half Blood**_

He wasn't sure when he had become more tolerant of Will Solace. Then again he also didn't know why he had agreed to stay in the Infirmary for an extra 2 days, but he didn't want to think about that right then.

Nico was more concerned over the fact that he had to explain _how_ he had wings, _what_ happened to them, and _why_ it was so important that Will kept his mouth shut. All while wearing a Hawaiian vacation shirt that had been shredded to ribbons and hastily made bandages were now soaked in blood. Stuck in a room that was just _begging_ to bring up all of his worst memories, ones that he tried so desperately to suppress, ones that had been resurfaced all because of Tartarus.

Thinking back, it wasn't exactly how he pictured his first day in the camp version of an ER, but it could have been worse. **Much** worse.

"Nico, I'm going to need to rebandage those scratches and check to see if they need stitches," the son of Apollo said from across the small room, gathering spare bandages and gauze, "So, off with the shirt."

' _WHAT!'_ Nico shouted mentally. "Um...is that really necessary? I mean, it's already pretty much down to it's last threads, and I don't have an extra t-shirt lying around camp," he said, voice wavering, a slight blush on his face.

' _Well, it's not like I have much of anything in my cabin anyway, at least nothing like a spare shirt,'_ he mused, ' _So it's not like it's a total lie, right?'_

Will smiled back. "Don't worry, I think Jason mentioned something about loaning you one, saying how it "wouldn't be like wearing a portable lighthouse" or something like that," he said, walking back over to where Nico would be staying for the next five day, or more depending on how reckless he was.

The ravenette was beginning to panic, wondering what would happen if, no, _when_ Will found out that he was just an experiment, that he was beyond help and "full recovery" in more ways than he would have thought. The rational side of Nico's brain knew that he wouldn't care, that from a patient-doctor perspective he had no need to worry about Will spreading the news that the son of Hades had wings.

However, the irrational side seemed to be shouting that "He's a doctor, he can't be trusted, what if he's in league with the so-called 'doctors' from the School."

So far, the irrational side was winning.

He didn't notice that the look Will was giving him was changing from slight annoyance and concern to full blown worry for the 14 year old. His breathing had quicken, coming out in short bursts and he looked around the room like he didn't recognize it, like he didn't think it was real.

It took Will a moment to remember what to do, considering that people usually didn't get a panic attack from being asked to do something. Then again, he wasn't usually in the same room as demigods who had panic attacks, since they were generally in the care of a different child of Apollo who has specialized in Psychology at their mortal school. All in all, he had thought of calling down the hall for some help, but decided against it.

Walking over to Nico he sat at the edge of the hospital bed and looked back over at Nico, running through what he was about to in his head one last time.

"Nico, I'm going to need you to look up at me, okay?" he asked, being gentle and making sure not to startle him, "Hey, you're okay." He reached over and put a hand on Nico's shoulder, careful of his injuries that he still had yet to attend to. "Could you try to breathe with me for little while? It's just going to be a few deep breathes, okay? In for four seconds, hold for 7, out for 8," Will recited, thinking back to the brief lessons he was given by Maddie, the unofficial camp psychologist.

At first it didn't work, Nico not seeming to follow along all that well, then he had begun to try to mimic Will's breathing, calming down after a bit. He was still somewhat tense, but he was better than he was before, for now at least.

There was a small pause, then Will began to speak again, "Look, I get it if you're uncomfortable with having to let me see whatever scars or trauma caused that, but I still need to treat your wounds, so at least undo the first few buttons, please. I could care less about blabbing to anyone about this either, patient confidentiality and all."

After what had just occurred Nico knew that he was in no condition to try and deny treatment, especially when he saw that the blood from the scratches was beginning to drip onto the hospital sheets. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to use the Mist to hide his wings, but after what Will just said, he figured it wouldn't make a difference. He would've found out eventually anyway.

As Will got to work on removing his make-shift bandages and cleaning the wound, one of Nico's wings twitched, causing him to mentally curse, ' _Gods damn it!'_

Nico looked up and was staring right into a pair of sky blue eyes as Will questioned, "What was that?"

' _Oh gods, here we go…'_


	4. Chapter 4

The trek back to the Hades cabin was a long and irritating half hour for Nico, and not just because he was still _really_ hungry. Will had insisted on walking with him, claiming that he, "Didn't want him in the Infirmary because he forgot he needed things like food or exercise or _sleep_ of all things."

After this little spiel, Nico zoned out, completely oblivious to where he was going.

This lead to many problems, one of the more memorable moments being when he tripped over a stray tree root, causing Will to grab his hand and keep him from falling. Resulting in Will blushing harder than a strawberry and apologizing profusely while throwing in that he didn't _mean_ to hold his hand, meanwhile was Nico mentally cursing Aphrodite, wondering if she was to blame for him stumbling over his own feet.

By the time they had finally arrived at cabin 13, an awkward silence had fallen between them, one that neither one of them felt the need to break. However, Percy and Jason, having just left their cabins, felt no obligation to let an awkward silence be.

"Hey, Nico," Percy called, running over to the pair with Jason tagging along, just as Will was about to leave. ' _Gods damn it, now I have to deal with not only Will, but Jason_ and _Percy? Smite me now.'_

As they slowed to a stop, Percy continued, "What happened to you at breakfast, I think you gave Jason gray hairs with how worried he was." Jason elbowed him, coughing meaningfully both to make him shut up and to shoot him a look to remind him why they were there in the first place.

Clearing his throat, Jason began speaking, "So, Nico, didn't you need help with archery? Oh hey, isn't Will a son of Apollo? You wouldn't mind helping Nico, would you?"

It was fairly well known around camp that the only children of the big three with any skill in archery were the children of Zeus. Whether this was due to Thalia's status with the hunters and Jason's training at Camp Jupiter, no one knew, or was brave enough to ask.

' _Smooth Jason, really. As smooth as sandpaper,'_ Nico thought, glaring at him and Percy as he shook his head. ' _Good gods I hope he says no. I can only tolerate that kind of cheeriness for short amounts of time.'_

"Well, okay, I guess," Will said, completely oblivious.

' _Schist! Now what am I supposed to do?'_

His eyes took on a darker look as they leveled with Jason, who spared him a quick glance and a supportive smile.

"Before you two leave," Nico said, stopping Percy and Jason from walking too far, "Could I talk to you for a second?"

Sending Will off to do his job at the Infirmary, Nico dragged the other two into his cabin. To say he was angry would be putting it lightly, even furious would have been a bit iffy.

"What the _hell_ was that about!" he demanded, scowling at both of them. After sharing a look with Jason, Percy began speaking. "Well, Neeks, you've been a bit of a recluse lately and, well, we kinda thought that you need to be more talkative, Hades, we all knew that but-"

"Don't use my father's name as a swear word," Nico interrupted, ending his rambling, "And why the hell would want either of you to help me?"

Sighing, Jason shooed Percy out and tried to continue where he left off. "Look, what we're trying to say is that it might be a good idea for you to socialize with others and at least _act_ your age sometimes. Right now we don't have to worry about another war or major prophecy, so there's no reason for you to push people away like you have been."

' _Well I've backed myself into a corner now, haven't I? Either explain why I can't get too attached or…'_ After weighing his options, he sighed. ' _Might as well play along, at least for now.'_

"Fine, if it gets you and Perce off my back. I'll at least _try_ to be a little social, okay?" Nico said exasperated. Jason smiled at this, holding up his hand for a fist bump. Begrudgingly, Nico copied his motion.

"By the way, _never_ try to be a wingman ever again. Even Percy could have been more subtle," he said, smirking slightly as Jason attempted to come up with a response.

Eventually, he just muttered, "Whatever," and started to leave, only to stop just as he was about to close the door. "Just so you know, you'll be having Archery practice with Will after lunch. Don't be late!" he said quickly closing the cabin door as a spare combat boot hit the door.

Once he was sure they had left, he began talking to himself, a habit he wasn't proud of and that had resulted from traveling solo so often.

"Well you've screwed yourself over now, haven't you? Just delayed the inevitable, after all it's not like you can stay here for too much longer without someone like Jason or Hazel finding out."

Settling down on the edge of his bed, he looked around at the room he had become so accustom to in the short time he had been at camp.

"But, do I really need to leave all this behind?" he thought out loud, only to shake his head a second later. "Course I do, can't let people from the School track me down here, or, _gods forbid_ they send Erasers out this far." Taking a deep breathe, he stood up and began to pace, still talking.

"Hopefully the Flock is still relatively safe, who knows, maybe they've managed to stay under the radar and out of the School's reach. Then again, it's probably just about like me trying to avoid monsters. Difficult and usually unsuccessful." He couldn't help but chuckle quietly at his own joke.

Glancing at his watch, he stopped pacing and cursed under his breathe. "It's already 9:13! Damn it, I was supposed to already be at the Arena! Annabeth is gonna kill me," he said, running out the door.

As he got closer to the Arena, which consisted of a stone floor and weapon/straw dummies vault, he slowed down, not wanting to accidentally skewer himself on a newbie's sword. Scanning the area, he quickly spotted Annabeth and the group of new demigods.

Ever since Percy made the gods promise to claim their children by the time they turn thirteen, there had been a steady flow of new campers, and Will, knowing that Nico wouldn't take his recovery as seriously as he needed to, had requested that he start helping Annabeth with teaching the new campers swordsmanship to regain his strength and stamina. This wouldn't have been a problem for Nico if he didn't have to worry about the _brand new_ aviator jacket he got from Mrs. Jackson getting ruined or risk the new campers and Annabeth seeing his extra appendages.

' _Yeah, wouldn't that be a sight. Not only would I get to amaze a bunch of new campers on their first day, but I would get to watch Annabeth become completely speech for once.'_

Smirking slightly, he approached the small crowd, mentally preparing himself for the lecture he was about to get. Sure enough, he was met with a glare and short rant about being late, which was immediately blocked out as Nico counting up how many he would probably be put with for today. ' _Okay, we have around 12 campers, so…'_

"I get it, don't be late next time, shared responsibility, et cetera, et cetera. We don't have all day, so can we just start the lesson now?" Nico asked, slightly annoyed. Stopping mid-sentence, Annabeth ended up just giving him a glare and splitting off the group, some to train with a dagger and the others with swords.

Halfway through their session, Annabeth called for a break and pulled Nico to the side, slightly concerned. "You okay? You seem a little out of it today, and I get the feeling it's not just because you were late," she said.

"Fine, just didn't sleep too well last night. That's all," he answered in a distant, unfocused voice, thinking back to his nightmare. ' _That would never happen, right? Yeah, I doubt they would even be able to find the camp borders, let alone get into camp. I'll be fine, for now.'_

Knowing how personal some demigod dreams were she nodded, a look of understanding passing her features. She looked like she wanted to ask something else, but instead she shrugged.

"Alright, but next time, don't be late. I'd rather not have the newer campers at the mercy of Clarisse after last night's round of Capture the Flag."

' _What? Oh, right, Ares cabin lost their 14th consecutive game. Oh well. It's not my fault Clarisse is a sore loser.'_

"If that's all you wanted to talk to me about, then I think we should get back to teaching them." Nico stated in a bored tone, walking back to the training grounds.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, Annabeth had everyone packing up and putting away the practice weapons and straw dummies. "Hey, listen up!" She shouted over the chattering half-bloods as they gathered their belongings, "You have about ten minutes before lunch, so get your stuff together and get ready to go."

Several of the trainees resorted to mumbling responses, one of which was met with, "Celeste, leave the smart ass comments to the professionals!" courtesy of Nico.

As they made their way to the Dining Pavilion, Nico's stomach dropped as he remembered the rest of his schedule. ' _Di Immortales_ _, I've got Archery after this! Gee, thanks for that Jason. Now I get to humiliate myself in front of my…'_

He froze for a moment as he waited in line to put in his sacrifice to the gods, wondering just what his relationship with Will could be considered. This was cut short though, as another camper elbowed him, pushing him up in line.

Once he sat down at his table, vacant as usual, he resumed his train of thought, picking at his fries.

' _I wouldn't call us acquaintances, not after the Infirmary… but we also wouldn't be complete strangers… friends maybe?'_ This continued for a few minutes until another thought came to mind. ' _I mean sure he's kinda cute but…'_

Immediately Nico froze, eyes glazing over as he went into a mental swan dive. ' _No. No, no, no. You just got over Percy. No way in hell are you going to start crushing on Will. Not. Gonna. Happen.'_

He almost didn't register Piper tapping him on the shoulder after lunch ended. Walking over to the archery range, he shook off the dazed expression he had and cleared his head.

Soon he could see the row of well used targets and spare bows, along with Will, who was grinning and waving like a madman.

"C'mon Nico, pick up the pace! The next group is gonna be here in an hour, and if I can't get you to at least hit the target by then we'll be repeating this tomorrow," he shouted, effectively making Nico's walk turn into a sprint.

"Damn it Solace, I've been running from place to place almost all day! How long til you deem me 'healthy' enough to Shadow Travel again," the son of Hades questioned, irritation leaking into his voice.

Will couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. "Well, first things first," he said, amused, "there's another quarter you owe to the swear jar, for a grand total of about seven dollars and seventy five cents. Second, how 'healthy' you are depends on how well you've been taking care of yourself.

"Now, let's get to the archery lesson, shall we," he finished, ignoring the glare Nico was shooting his way and marching over to the rack of bows and quivers. "Take your pick, and don't worry about accidentally using someone else's bow. We have those stored somewhere separate."

Looking between the Will and the bows, Nico raised an eyebrow. "You're sure about this," he questioned. "I'll warn you now, I'm worse than Percy is with this stuff. And that's on a good day."

Sighing, Will gestured towards the weapons rack yet again. "You're forgetting, I've dealt with campers that couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if they tried, and now they're getting bullseyes. Now quit stalling and choose one already!"

Sparing Will one last doubtful glance, he looked over the different bows, before hesitantly holding up a longbow. It had a simple design, seeing as it was just for practice, but seemed sturdy enough.

' _On with the show now, I guess. Here's to hoping I don't somehow break this one.'_

Clasping his hands together, Will motioned his head over to the quivers of arrows, "Great, now if you'll just sling one of those over your shoulder, we can start this session."

"Whatever, don't blame me if you get stuck to a tree or something," Nico snapped, walking over to the firing line.

Notching an arrow, he aimed for a target and prepared himself to fire.

' _So far, so good. Just take a deep breathe, aim, and let go of the arrow, plain and simp-'_

"No wonder you're having trouble with this," Will said, jolting the fourteen year old from his mental pep talk. "You're stance is completely off. Here," he said, walking closer to Nico, but still staying out of his personal space, nudging one of Nico's feet with the tip of his shoe.

"Shift your foot in a bit, and don't be so hunched over. Also, loosen your grip on the bow, I can see your knuckles turning white from here, and move one of your fingers above the arrow," he instructed, still maintaining a slight distance. "Great, now look down the arrow and-'

 ** _ **Thunk**_**

His next words were cut off, not by the arrow hitting the target, but a small boy, roughly ten years old, crash landing at the edge of the clearing. He was followed by what looked like three fifteen year olds (two males, one female), an energetic African American girl, a little, blonde seven year old girl, and a small, black dog, all of whom landed in a much more graceful manner.

What surprised him wasn't that he had never seen them before, or that they made no move to help the most likely concussed child.

No, what shocked him down to the core was that they had wings. Wings varying from fifteen to nine feet across, and not unlike the ones hidden under Nico's coat.

"Gazzy, how many time do I have to tell you and Iggy _not_ to play around while you're flying? You're lucky it wasn't concrete," the oldest girl scolded the young boy, now Gazzy, in a motherly tone.

Slowly, Will turned his head to Nico, who looked at the small group, his face a mix of sadness, surprise, and, oddly enough, happiness.

A groan sounded from the ten year old as he pushed himself into a sitting position, mumbling what was either "It was worth it" or "He deserved it."

"Max, just let them be. It'll take ages for that to sink into their heads," the gothic fifteen year old stated, putting hand on Max's shoulder as if to comfort her.

This confirmation prompted Nico to speak up. "Max? Fang? Is that really you," he asked, his voice just barely above a whisper.

Now it was Max's turn to look startled, not realizing they had an audience. Recognition crossed her face as she looked at him.

"Nico?"


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 4_**

The air was heavy with silence as Nico and Max locked eyes, neither one believing what they were seeing. Fang was looked back and forth between the two, before settling his gaze on Nico, falling into a subtle fighting stance next to Max.

Max's eyes still held a hint of doubt. 'Is that really Nico?' She wondered, 'No, it couldn't be...but what if...is this where he's been all along? Or is this just another trap created by the School?' Cautiously, she took a step forward, dropping her bag at her feet and preparing for the worst, when Nudge finally made the connection.

"Wait, Nico as in the one we knew from the School, that Nico right," she asked. "Ohmigosh I can't believe we found him! Well it's not like we meant to, but it's still pretty awesome. Hey Max, do you think he'll be able to help with the whole "saving the world" thing, cause if so that would be great. Oh, I wonder if we could catch up on old times now, maybe take a break, I think I saw a beach on the way here, so-" her next words were cut off as Iggy clamped a hand over her mouth.

"I'm sorry," he said, propping his other arm on Nudge's shoulder and resting his head in his free hand, "Continue."

Shaking his head at their antics, Nico scanned over the remainder of group, mentally ticking off their names. 'So, we have Max, obviously; Fang in all his gothic glory; Iggy, who from the looks of it is still blind; Nudge, a chatter box per usual; Gazzy, gonna have to remember to stay up wind; and Angel, the telepathy child. Fan-freaking-tastic!'

He groaned internally, attempting to think of why they were there and how they got into camp in the first place.

Max, having temporarily let her guard down to motion for the flock to conceal their wings, gave him the perfect opportunity to approach. His movement was tense, ready to fight at any given moment, something that did not go undetected by the blonde medic.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed through gritted teeth, making Max jump slightly.

"What the hell, Nico! You too," she asked in mock seriousness, "Is Fang giving lessons now? 'Creeping up on People 101.' If so then sign me the f-"

She stopped once she saw the look Nico was giving her. "I'm being serious, now tell me, how the hell did you find me," he asked, his voice cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Eh hem," Iggy coughed, gaining the attention of Will and the Flock, minus Fang who was determined to keep an eye on Nico, just in case. "Look, I like drama as much as the next guy, but can we keep things moving here? We're kinda on a schedule, so…" Angel nodded her head in agreement, as did Gazzy, but that could've just been him trying to shake off his newly received concussion.

Max glanced back at the old flock member, weighing her options. This wasn't the Nico she remembered. Who ever this was, they were the exact opposite of the Nico she knew.

Where was his overbearing sister, his silly card game, his childish outlook on life and morals. The person standing just an arm's length away was a sadder, much tougher version of the sweet boy she once knew, hollow eyes where there should be hope and joy and life.

'Don't worry Max, that really is Nico.'

'Ugh, you again!' Max thought, only partially angry that she wasn't rid of the Voice, 'What "ever so wise" words do you have to share we me today? Don't forget to make them sound like a friggin fortune cookie.'

'You can trust him. Just be careful.'

'Wait, why would I need to be careful? Hellllllooooo?'

And, just like that, the Voice was gone yet again.

"Damn it," she muttered, not realizing she said it outloud.

Hearing this, Nico momentarily broke character, a confused look crossing his face. "What?"

Fang elbowed her, as if to gently prompt her to speak up. "Hm? Oh, nothing," she said. "So, where can we get some food, we're starving!"

"Finally, something we can all agree on!" a small, muffled voice said as Angel's bag seemed to rustle, until the little, fluffy head of a black Scottie poked out of the bag, "And would it kill you to leave the bag cracked open more next time!? I almost suffocated in there!"

Gazzy, seeing Nico's slightly alarmed face, quickly filled him in, "Nico, meet Total, he's our talking dog. Total, meet Nico, he's…" A thoughtful look took over his features as he contemplated what to say to properly describe him.

"He's an old friend," Fang substituted, glimpsing at Max for confirmation, "Right?"

"Yeah, we can trust him," 'Or else a certain voice will have hell to pay, once I find out who the hell they are!' she mused. "Now, about the food?"

"Oh, right," Nico whispered to himself. "Hey, Will," he shouted, startling the blonde from a daydream, "Can we cut target practice short today? We'll reschedule for tomorrow, okay?"

Chuckling, Will replied, "Sure thing, Death Breath. I'll hold you to that promise, got it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Sunshine," he retorted. "Anyway, let's go to the dining pavilion. We can talk about whatever this," he motioned to the entire Flock, putting more emphasis on Total than anyone else, "is while we're there."

"I second that motion," Iggy said, removing his hand from Nudge's mouth and raising it.

'So that's why it was so quiet,' Max thought to herself as a chorus of agreement rose from the other bird-kids and they set out on a rather long and awkward journey to the dining pavilion.

The trek back consisted of Nudge asking ridiculous questions such as, but not limited to, "Where are we? Is this some kind of military camp? Who was the blonde guy back there? Why were you practicing Archery with him? Oh, are you guys dating?"

Nico's responses varied from a quick sentence vocalized through gritted teeth, to exasperated statements, to blushing and frantic denial. Each time he spoke, though, he would have only half-answers, ambiguous words, giving away as little as possible.

Max hid a smirk, and Fang couldn't help the small twitch at the corner of his mouth. 'Why did he ever have to leave?' She couldn't help but wonder what had happened in the four years he had been gone for, trying to piece together what could have made change from a light, cheerful kid to a boy with shadowed eyes that made him look much older than 14.

"We're here," he said, interrupting her train of thought. As they walked into the dining pavilion Iggy grabbed at Fang's shirt sleeve, a silent plea for a description of the building. Staring at the structure around her, she couldn't understand how this was where they ate their meals. It looked like someone took the design for it right out of a textbook about Greece. 'It doesn't even have a ceiling!'

It seemed, she wasn't the only one with that on their mind, since she heard Gazzy murmur, "But what do you do when it rains?"

Nico must have found this humorous, for once he stole a few plates from a cabinet and settled down at a table in the far left corner, he turned to face them and gestured to the benches, a ghost of a smile on his face. "I'd be happy to answer that, but first," he gave Max a meaningful look, "someone needs to explain how they got here without alerting the others."

She cocked her head to the side, more than a little curious, but before she could say anything Nudge beat her to it. "Others? What others?"

"What do you mean 'what others?' There should have been guards posted at the camp entrance."

"So it is a summer camp!" Gazzy exclaimed, feeling like he won the lottery.

Sighing, Nico nodded. "I guess, in some twisted way, it is," he said tiredly, sitting down on the bench, the Flock doing the same, "We're getting sidetracked though."

Propping her elbow up on the table, Max rested her head in her hand. "We flew here, plain and simple. If there was anyone on guard duty then we didn't see them and they didn't see us. My turn: What would have happened if someone saw us?"

Grimacing, Nico picked at the hem of his jacket, "Best case scenario, they would've raised the alarm and had camp on lockdown while others assessed the 'threat.' Worst case scenario...you would've been shot down, have an arrow or two stuck in your wings, probably interrogated, possibly killed if you started making your usual comments. Depends on the interrogator."

They froze, varying signs of fear and shock on their faces. Sure, it wasn't much different than how they were treated at the School sometimes, but the way he said it, so bored and careless, as if their lives didn't even matter to him was what struck a nerve.

Nudge gasped, placing a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound, Angel lightly grabbed at the older girl's jacket sleeve for comfort, and Gazzy whimpered.

The older half of the Flock tried to keep their expressions impassive, hoping to come off as unafraid of the indirect threat they were given.

It was the almost insignificantly clenched fist from Iggy, the pained look that donned Max's face for just a second too long, and the slightly homicidal glaze over Fang's eyes that gave them away. A gentle reminder that he was out numbered, that he wasn't the only one who had changed over the past four years. That if he threatened the Flock in any way, all bets were off.

"So, since it seems like we're playing 20 questions, my turn…" And so it continued, back and forth between the two, with the occasional comment from Fang or Nudge. Meanwhile, Gazzy was pigging out on the food, Angel was inaudibly analyzing their surroundings, and Iggy was straining his ears in an unsuccessful attempt to hear something, anything over the noise coming from their tense discussion.

The distant sound of swords and shields clinking together rang through the air, piquing Iggy's curiosity about this 'camp,' as Nico described it. 'This is bullshit, why can't Angel just do a sweep of his mind and tell us what we need to know? At the very least, I want to know what Nico looks like after all this time.'

'I can't do that because he needs to trust us,' Angel explained telepathically, and for all it was worth Iggy didn't jump from the sudden appearance of the little blonde's voice being in his head.

'If I just pick his brain and take what knowledge he has of this place he'll know something's up, and he hasn't lied to us yet, so he obviously has some faith in us.' she added arrogantly, not seeming at all like the young girl clinging to Nudge's sleeve.

'I hate it when you're right,' Iggy stated mentally, taking the lack of snobby remark as a sign that Angel was done talking for now.

Abruptly, Max slammed her fist on the table and stood up, the discussion having taken on the telltale signs of an argument.

"Damn it Nico, if you would just tell us what happened then we might be able to help you! I told you our part, so spill it! Where's Bianca and what happened to you?" She shouted, rage burning in her eyes.

Nico's response was cold and monotonous, a remarkable change from Max's fiery temper, but just as loud. "I told you I don't need any help! What I need is for you you and your 'Flock' to leave here before something bad happens!"

"What could possibly happen to us that we wouldn't be able to handle! Why can't you just stop being so stubborn for once in your life!"

That hit close to home, sounding too much like what Jason and Will have been telling him since the end of the Giant War. 'Just let us help you, you're not alone anymore so you can stop with the solo act.'

"Don't you dare act like you've been here forever, like you can just barge back into my life and fix everything when you know you can't!"

"Well gee, who's the one that left to begin with, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't me!" She countered venomously, "Ugh, where's Bianca? Maybe if I talk with her I'll be able to get something through that thick skull of yours!"

"Would you quit talking about her like that!? She wouldn't've wanted to meet you any more than I did!"

"Can you guys just shut up already!" Fang bellowed, intending to silence them, but his plea fell on deaf ears.

"OH, RIGHT, 'CAUSE YOU WOULD DEFINITELY KNOW WHAT SHE WOULD AND WOULDN'T WANT TO DO, IT'S NOT LIKE SHE'S YOUR OLDER SISTER OR SOMETHING! WHY THE HELL DO YOU KEEP ON AVOIDING THAT QUESTION, I JUST WANT TO TALK WITH HER!"

He couldn't stand it any more. He finally snapped.

"GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, LAST I KNEW SHE WAS DEAD!" At this Nico turned rigid, only just realizing what he said. Fear, surprise, and distress painted his face a sickening shade of white as he gasped desperately for air, winded after their yelling match.

Max was grounded in place, processing what she heard and hoping, willing it to be false, thinking that she couldn't be dead, not now, not yet.

None of them had noticed the small audience they had attracted, the Flock having been too focused on the dispute, nor had they seen Will furiously pushing his way to the front, just in case he needed to do damage control.

"Whoa, who would've thought that Death Boy could actually show an emotion that wasn't pissed off," a random camper said, breaking Nico out of his trance like state. Sweeping over the group, he checked his watch, noting that it was nearly dinner time.

'Of course, the one time I needed to have a private conversation, everyone over hears it. Oh what joy my life brings, I'm sure the Fates are having the time of their lives watching this' he thought bitterly, making his way over to the edge of the crowd. Per usual, they parted, making a walkway for him and avoiding any contact.

Before he could get too far though, he felt a rough tug at the back of his jacket, one that threatened to pull off his only cover if he wasn't careful. It was accompanied by Max's pained voice. "Wait, I didn't mean to...I…"

"What," he snarled, "What more could you possibly have to say to me at this point?"

She couldn't bother to look him in the eye as her voice, just above a whisper, said, "I'm sorry, alright."

Giving an irritated sigh, he shook off her hand and kept walking. Or, at least he tried to.

He felt a slight tug on his shoulder as Max's hand fell off, dragging the oversized Aviator's jacket down just enough to reveal part of his wings. Determined not to look at Max, he began his quiet march out of the Dinning Pavilion. At the very edge of the pavilion, he pivoting on his heels, looking around at the other campers that thought their quick glances would go unnoticed as they helped some forest nymphs set up for dinner. Leveling them with a psychotic glare that would no doubt fuel another round of rumors, he muttered, "Oh, joy. And I can't even shadow travel away. Gee thanks, Solace."

After fixing his jacket, he spared Max an apologetic look and took a running start out of the dining pavilion, leaving behind a dozen curious campers and one very confused, and very hurt, Flock.

As he neared the outskirts of the clearing he let his wings unfurl, guiding him to the top of the Big House. He sat close to the chimney, using it to lean on, and also as a shield for when they would no doubt send Jason out to find him.

Exhaustion and dizziness overtook him as he realized how little he had eaten that day, quickly followed by, 'Oh shit, Will is gonna kill me...well, if he can find me anyway. I'd be willing to bet that someone saw me, probably snitched to Jason or Annabeth by now, the little traitors.'

Giving a quiet sigh at how far away from normal his life had gotten in the past few hours, Nico let his mind wander down it's usual ADHD induced path.


	6. Well this is awkward

Hey...I'm still alive!

Okay I know it's been forever since I updated, and I'm really sorry about that, but I have my reasons. School is being a bitch and whenever I decide "It's time to sit down and work on that next chapter!" I slam face-first into writers block. So thank you for the supportive reviews, but this story will be on hold until this school year ends (only a month and a half left!). Thanks again, and I'll see you all in June!


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